Lenses for What?

[Jack_Flesher]

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Do you carry all those lenses with you when you go out shooting (i.e. the Leica lightness is gone) and keep changing lens accordingly to each photo subject or you just pick the one lens that will probably suit better the photography day and stick to it?

 

Like the others, it depends on the venue. I have three bags I regularly use for various size M kits. And even head out on occasion with NO bag, just a body with one lens mounted, spare battery and cards in my pocket.

 

Cheers,

[Guest guy_mancuso]

I agree that what I use for whatever subject is not necesarily relevant to what you'll use for the same subject, but I think there is benefit to these discussions... While it may not be the way I use that particular focal or lens, I do enjoy hearing how other folks use theirs; which focals for what purposes etc. It sometimes gives me insight to how other photographers see, think and work, and keeps me thinking about new possibilities. I also think it can be especially helpful to somebody new to the M8 getting them pointed in the right direction for a sound start.

 

Cheers,

 

Exactly Jack there are probably 10 new folks I have seen join the forum in the past week that actually have made a post and countless that have not. i think discussions like this are very helpfull to them just like the what should be my first lens discussion. Us old farts may not see the need but i still find it interesting to see what people use and how they use them. You never know when a good tip comes to light.

[Pointcolville]

For 20 years I used a Nikon F3 with 35MM and 85MM lenses.

 

No surprise, my most used lenses on the M8 are the 24mm (walk-around, all purpose lens) and the 75MM (portraits, flowers, bugs, "reach out and touch something" lens).

 

I love the way the 24 can look wide and distorted if you set up the shot with a strong "near/far" element, and can also comfortably take portraits if you are careful.

 

35 and 50 sit on the shelf for the most part.

[michael_b_elmer]

4.0/16-18-21: Just received it and only tried it out at 16 mm until now. Glad that Guy does not list it as a 8.0-lens, but I do hope it is a 4.0 lens, not just a 5.6! Will try out the other sizes asap.

 

2.8/2.4: My standard lens I - perfect for street shooting and for shooting people in their surroundings. One of Leica's best M-lenses.

 

2.0/28:My least used lens. It is close to the 35 mm lens, but:

 

1.4/35: Is my standard lens II: The most versatile lens in the M-system.

 

2.0/35: Not as good as my 1.4 35. Set for sale in commission at a reputed dealer.

 

1.0/50: Wonderful lens not least for portraits. However, it is also a fine all-rounder which delivers stunning results in many situations.

 

1.4/50: I have two (in BP and TIT), that I have set for sale in commission at a reputed dealer. Great lenses, but I have the Noct., and I want to get the asph-version that is said to be better.

 

2.0/50: I do not use it much - in fact never have done so since acquiring it in 1983. Will be set for sale very soon at a reputed dealer in exchange for a 50/1.4 asph.

 

1.4/75: Nothing beats this as the portrait lens. Dr. Mandler certainly did a great job also with this lens.

 

2.8/90: Handy, with results very much like the 2.0/50, ie. a bit boring. I may upgrade it to a 90 AA, but, on the other hand, 90 mm is not my favourite length on the M8, and I might easily live without it.

 

Looking for:

 

1.4/50 asph: cf. above.

2.8/21 asph: said top be very sharp - and faster than WATE.

2.0/90 AA: Cf. above

4.0/28-35-50: Said to be a good travel companion

A photo bag big enough for M8 + 8-10 lenses, flash, ac/dc, etc.Will Leica's big Outdoor bag do the job - or should I look at a(nother) Tamrac?

[hankg]

Some images to illustrate my selection:

 

The 90/4 macro:

 

Close in with enough light you don't miss the wider apertures at this focal length.

 

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The only Leica lens really optimized for near distance it punches way above it's weight close up. The insets show 1:1 detail. The image is a composite so the client would have the freedom of changing the layout up until press time. The final composite file was a 21MP file -who needs medium format

 

 

The 28/2:

Sharp and beautiful rendering a very well balanced lens. The model for me of how a modern lens should perform for the M8.

 

 

The 50/1.4 preASPH:

 

It gives up some performance to the new 50 ASPH wide open but it just draws so beautifully.

 

At this point I don't see the need for anything else, lens wise. I would prefer a 75/2.0 macro with similar drawing and performance to the 90/4 but nothings perfect. However the combo of 28/2 and 50/1.4 (whether the ASPH or preASPH) is as close to perfection as you can get.

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Michael, check this out will hold two M8's with lenses plus about 8 or so more and whatever else you need but not too big. For me this is my everything bag and if you go international with only ONE bag you can stuff the laptop in it too. Plus this works in US on those regional jets. So for travel it will cover any restriction and for local jobs i just slip the handle over the rolling light case and a nice compact setup . plus it's a small backpack

 

Professional photography equipment - camera bags, camera cases - from Think Tank Photo

[mwilliamsphotography]

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Over the years, I've collected an arsenal of M glass which I mix and match based on the job at hand. I primarily carry the selection in a Lowpro Traveler or smaller similar Lowpro because I like how they fit close to the body when carrying.

 

WATE: this was a surprising performer. A bit slow, but at 16mm easy to shoot at much slower shutter speeds. Because it's a PITA to set up at a wedding, I tend to pick a time and use it in a burst of shots with all three of the focal lengths for a series of wide shots, then retire it back to the bag. I need to get the filter assembly and an IR filter for this lens.

 

24/2.8 ASPH: replaces the 28/2 ASPH as my most used indoor in tight quarters lens due to the 1.3X of the M8. Bride's dressing rooms are usually pretty tight. A 21 would distort a bit to much.

 

28/2 ASPH: If I include a 50/1.4 in the mix, this is the other wider lens I bring.

 

35/1.4 ASPH: the second of a smaller two lens outfit for people shooting. The other being a 90/2.8.

 

50/1.4 ASPH: My bad luck lens that is back to Leica AGAIN since it still cannot achieve critical focus. My chrome 50/1.4 ASPH LHSA works perfectly, this one never has.

 

75/1.4: beyond anything anyone else makes for that "look". My Canon 85/1.2 is a wannabe, but will never be. Incomparable wedding lens. Focus calibration is perfect on both my M8s.

 

90/2.8: After having it focus calibrated, this lens has come into it's own in a big way ... or should I say a small way ... since it's half the size of the 90/2 ASPH. Perfect second lens for people shooting when using a smaller kit at a wedding.

 

90/2ASPH: The lens to use when I want to insult the Mother of the Bride and show every single age line on her face and any tiny veins in her eyes. I need to get a Softar-I for this sucker. Great for anything else not involving a person over the age of 5 : -)

 

135/3.4APO: least used lens. While I use the Canon 135/2 frequently to pick people out of crowd, this lens on an M8 is to difficult to frame in those circumstances. I may look into the older 135/2.8 with eyes to replace it.

 

All-in-all the M still remains a well suited available light system for getting in up close and personal unobtrusively. Here's a few from a Sikh wedding ... that's Irakly Shanidze with his M8 and tell tale IR filter sneaking in for a shot. The maroon fabric was maroon not black : -)

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[jaapv]

It gives me a chance to look at my lenses, albeit from an amateur's point of view:

 

CV 15

A lot has been said about this lens, ideal for indoor and dramatic archirecture and landscape shots. Value for money a no-brainer.

 

ZI Biogon 21/2.8

A 28 mm universal wideangle that is a serious contender for the Elmarit 2.8 asph, at a far lower price. I think that it outperforms the Leica lens in night shots, drawing more subtly.

 

Elmarit 28/2.8 asph

An excellent value all-rounder, not as sophisticated as th 2.0, but I doubt if that shows up in print.

 

Summicron 35/2.0 asph

The 35 that turns out to be the best choice for the M8, given the problems with some Summiluxes. Again a lens that performs excellently in low light.

 

Elmar-M 2.8/50 collapsible

The cheapest Leica M lens, with a performance that is right up there with the best. Very underrated and it turns the M8 into a really small package.

 

 

 

Summilux 75

Enough has been said about this lens. Use it wide open and "leica-glow"is automitically included in the shot

 

Apo-Summicron 90 asph

This is a beautifully sharp lens. It is hard to visualize anything better. I would not be surprised ( though likely not around) if it were still in the catalog in forty years time.

 

 

4.0/135

This lens is is good performer on the M8. Twist it a bit fiurther for the 90 mm framelines. It does make the 3.4/135 apo, though even better (a bit) seem superfluous.

And it lets one keep a safe distance from time to time...

 

 

And some old stuff, of which I would like to highlight the Summarit 1.5/50

A dreamy lens with pastel colours, a perfect portrait and smoky bar lens, if one watches the oof areas, which can get a little wild.

 

[blakley]

A lot of my lenses stay on the film bodies these days; the CV 15 seems perfect with a Barnack camera, so it stays on the iiif. 90s are often too long for me even on film cameras, so the Macro-Elmar 90 stays on an M3. 50 Summicrons are just too slow; I suspect I'm keeping them now only for sentimental reasons. They're mostly on the shelf. I have failed to bond with the 35/1.4 Summilux ASPH; I never use it on the M8, and (given its relatively large size) I usually use either the old Canon 35/2 or the also old M-Rokkor 40/2 on the M2. Other CV lenses are gone, except the 50/2 Heliar collapsible and the 50/3.5 Heliar collapsible which my 50 fetish requires me to keep and use from time to time.

 

So what's left for the M8?

 

50/1.2 Noctilux "ASPH". This is on the camera more than half the time and is the hands-down favorite. It needs focus calibration to to jibe with the rangefinder at closest distance, so sooner or later I'll have to send it off. Can't be coded - sniff. This is what I use for most situations, including especially low-light portraits which is the majority of my shooting:

 

 

28/2 Summicron ASPH. A truly great lens and my second most used. Fantastically sharp and saturated with zero distortion. Used for full length portraits, interiors, and landscapes. But.... something nags at me. On the M8, it seems sometimes to give a "blotchy" rendition in low light. Is this just me?..... Here it is on film, scanned indifferently:

 

 

50/1.4 Summilux ASPH. Smaller, lighter, and sharper than the 50/1.2, but more prone to flare and to "hotspots" in backlight. Bokeh not as good as the Noct (but then again, nothing has bokeh as good as the Noct). Sometimes the mood takes me and I use it instead of the Noct. It does well:

 

 

75/2 Summicron ASPH. The best 35mm format portrait lens on earth, bar none. Still, I use it less than the 50/1.2 despite its obvious advantages in terms of size, close focus, sharpness, and ease of focusing. Why? Something about the Noct look.... Used less on the M8 than it was on film. Maybe I should just shoot with it for a week; it was so good when I was using it:

 

[pemayeux]

Shooting the MP, M6 and M8...

 

15CV - rarely used. Like Jack Flesher - it's nice to have in the case

 

21/2.8 Elmarit ASPH - MP, M8 - mostly for landscape shots. I like the rendering of this lens.

 

28/2.8 Elmarit ASPH - M8 - still trying to warm up to this lens, not very happy with it's fingerprint. Thinking of selling it for the 28/2.0 or the 24/2.8.

 

35/1.4 'Lux ASPH - Favorite lens on M8 and MP, though I like the true 35 field of view on the MP better. If there is focus shift, it's not enough to matter.

 

50/1.4 'Lux ASPH - Body cap on the M6 (.85) - Don't like the 50mm on the M8.

 

75/1.4 'Lux - M6, M8. My special use lens. Big, clunky? So what, it's my favorite 75.

[KJB]

15mm CV Heilar - have not been too impressed with the results from this lens so it rarely sees daylight. Even stopped down just does not seem to have the sharpness I was hoping for. I have the WATE on order and will eventually sell this one.

 

21 ASPH - traded up from the 21ZM and prefer the fingerprint, colors, and sharpness wide open with the Leica version. About as wide as I need but that may change depending on how well the WATE performs.

 

50 lux ASPH - smaller and lighter than the Nocit. Also sharp wide open and contrasty and often time more pleasing out of box than the Nocti. Love this lens.

 

50 Nocti - nothing draws like this lens (except perhaps the 75 lux) and if you are looking for a unique look then this lens delivers in spades. F1 is definitely usable but the issue often time in nailing the focus. Sharpens up nicely when stopped down a bit to f2.8.

 

90 APO Lanthar - not thrilled with the fingerprint of this lens and the speed is an issue when trying to handhold this longer focal length indoors. Will eventually replace with the 90 cron asph.

 

Currently looking for:

24 elmarit asph - finding it difficult to resist this wide for its lack of distortion and fingerprint

28 cron asph - not sure about this one but may give it a try.

35 lux asph - worried a bit about the focus issues but hope to find a good sample